


Frank's Baby

by ke_xia



Category: Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-14 18:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4575471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ke_xia/pseuds/ke_xia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claire was pregnant with Frank's baby when she went back through the stones. Jamie vows to love both her and the child, and to raise the child as his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collection of prompts sent in to [Imagine Claire & Jamie](http://imagineclaireandjamie.tumblr.com/post/124783418376/imagine-if-claire-was-pregnant-when-she-first-went) on tumblr, written by Mod Eli. (That's me!) I'm posting them here for easier reading and in case there's anyone over here on AO3 who might not be on tumblr. Do feel free to check the blog out, though, and send in prompts if you have more ideas for our favorite pair!

> anonymous said:  
> Imagine if Claire was pregnant when she first went back through the stones.

Randall had hit her. A vicious swing of his fist that had collided with the left side of her jaw and had sent her sprawling across the floor, stars dancing across her vision. She’d curled in on herself, begging him not to hurt her. For the baby. The baby that she’d kept silent about to everyone until that moment. 

Dougal had come to the rescue, of course, before any real damage had been done, but what he was proposing now… He’d heard her begging for the baby’s life. How could he possibly think that Jamie should want to marry her this way? She sat in the soft grass with her eyes closed, focus turned inward on that little burst of life in her womb. Strong and healthy. The baby was alright, despite the stress she’d just been through. She had only realized she was pregnant just before they’d left Castle Leoch. It was really the only reason she hadn’t fought Dougal about coming along on this damned trip. Because Claire had hoped she’d have a chance to get back to the stones. 

But now, here she was, contemplating something else entirely. A way to save not only her life, but her baby’s as well- the one piece of Frank she had here. For Claire was positive that Black Jack Randall wouldn’t care about the child, were it his own descendant or not. (Of course, he’d think her utterly mad for even suggesting the child might be related to him.) And this something else just might keep her here- might mean her raising this child with a father not its own.

A marriage to Jamie. It was the only way, so Dougal said.

The heavy thud of footsteps sounded behind her and she opened her eyes to look up just as her possible husband-to-be came over the hill to join her, a bottle of whiskey in one hand and two cups in the other. Claire swallowed hard and gave a little shake of her head when he held one of the cups out to her. “I really ought to cut back,” she said quietly. “Jamie-”

“I dinna mind, Sassenach. Truly. Marrying ye, keepin’ ye safe…”

“You don’t mind marrying me, but– there is more to this than that.”

He set the cups and the bottle aside, then turned to face her, brows knitting together in confusion while concern was reflected in his eyes. “What d’ye mean by that? What more is there to it?”

Claire closed her eyes again and took a deep breath, laying her hand over her stomach as she released the breath slowly. “You remember I said I was married before.”

“Aye, but I dinna mind that either, Claire. So long as ye dinna mind that-”

Her lips twitched toward a small smile and she shook her head. “You really are quite gallant, Jamie. But I need you to not speak for a moment, please.” She watched as he opened his mouth, then thought better of it with a wry smile, and closed it once more, nodding for her to go on. “I’ve… recently come to understand that I- well, I’m pregnant.” 

Understanding lit his eyes, but his face fell a little and he glanced away, nodding. His lips pursed to one side as he considered this news, but he said nothing for a while. Jamie gazed out over the landscape, turned inward to his own thoughts, and Claire waited for him to change his mind.

“I’ll not fault you if you choose not to go through with-”

“If ye’ll give me a moment, Claire. I think it may be yer turn to no’ speak.” His dark gaze flicked toward her and he offered her a twitch of his lips toward a smile, then looked away again. He took a deep breath of his own, fingers of his left hand tapping on his knee, then finally turned back to her. Blue eyes trailed over her swollen lip, the bruise forming on her jaw, and he set his own jaw, anger flashing in that gaze. “I canna be leaving ye to go it alone, Sassenach. I canna promise I’ll be the best kind of father that yer first husband might ha’ been, but I can promise to protect ye both with my life, were it to come to that. And I promise to help ye raise the child, if ye’ll have me, as if it were my own, and to support ye both.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked over his face. “You’re truly sure about this?”

Jamie smiled genuinely now, reached for her hand, and lifted it to brush a kiss across her knuckles. “Aye. I’m sure. It’ll be just fine. I’ll see to that.” 

Claire squeezed his hand and gave a little nod. “Thank you, Jamie,” she whispered. 

He gazed at her for several breaths, some unreadable emotion in his eyes, then nodded and released her hand, grabbing up the whiskey and the cups once more to turn and head back to the others.


	2. Chapter 2

> anonymous said:  
> Hey! Can you guys do a follow up on the story where Claire is pregnant with Frank's child and she tells Jamie before the wedding. As much as I hate Frank I would love a follow up! Maybe a few years later or something...

“William!” Panic pulled at Claire’s chest. The boy had been just in front of her. Where the bloody hell could he have disappeared off to? Her mind was ticking off the names of all the people in France who hated her and might have grabbed up the toddling little beast. “William Franklin James Fraser, you come here this instant, you little-!” She released a slow breath, reminding herself not to get overly excited. It wasn’t good for the baby. Another baby. She smiled to herself and rubbed a hand over her stomach. She was barely showing now, but Jamie and William, who was now almost two years old, were both excited as ever. 

Speaking of Jamie and William- her giant of a husband suddenly stepped out of a shop just ahead, the little boy hanging upside down from Jamie’s shoulder, amber eyes alight and his dark hair spilling out across the rich velvet of his father’s coat. Willie was giggling at an alarming pitch that had everyone who passed turning to look at the pair. Claire sighed in relief and leaned against the cool stone of the building she stood next to. So that was what had made him take off. Fergus slipped out of the shop behind the two, looking awfully pleased with himself, and she simply shook her head, deciding not to ask. 

“Da!” Willie screeched, wriggling as Jamie tickled him. “Nooo!”

“Nay, a bhalaich, it’s Papa in France, mind me telling ye that?”

Willie considered this for a moment, then grinned and shook his head, face turning red from being upside down. Jamie clicked his tongue and swung the boy up onto his shoulders, holding onto his chubby little legs to keep him in place.

“Aye, I ken ye do. Can ye say it? Papa.” 

He frowned, considering the word, then gave a little shrug, clearly not interested in changing his ways just then. “Dinna ken,” he answered simply. “You say, Da.”

“Papa,” Jamie repeated patiently.

Claire pushed herself away from the wall and stepped forward, reaching out to give Willie’s foot a squeeze. “Tell him, darling. Tell him you’re still trying to learn English! And Gaelic, for that matter.” She gave Jamie a look then smiled softly and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “He ran off from me. I was afraid someone might have taken him…” 

Jamie frowned at he and reached out to rub her back lightly. “He’d no’ go far from his mother, mo nighean donn. Dinna fash. The two of ye are well looked after when ye’re out.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “What is it ye’d come out for, anyway?”

“Oh. Just a walk. Willie couldn’t keep still. He’s been asking for you all afternoon. Shall we go home? It’ll be suppertime soon…” 

He snorted at that. “Aye, suppertime. Time to feed the wee bairns, is it?” 

“Mmh. And me. I know you’re enjoying my arse growing to ridiculous proportions.”

His hand dipped a little lower and he grinned wide at her. “That I am, Sassenach. That I am.” 

“Arss?” Willie echoed, frowning down at his mother. He grabbed two handfuls of his father’s hair and gave it a tug. “Wha’sa arss?”

Jamie grunted and reached up in an attempt to loosen the boy’s hold on him. “Dinna say that word, William. Yer mother’s got a mouth on her that doesna bear repeating.”

Claire laughed and shook her head. “Please. As if he doesn’t hear worse, hanging about with you, Murtagh, and Fergus all day long.” She took Jamie’s hand and tugged him along toward home, eager to be back within the safety of those walls. “We’re lucky his first word wasn’t a curse in Gaelic.” 

He grinned at that, squeezing her hand as they headed home. “Give it time, Sassenach. He’ll learn.”


End file.
